Aircraft

ABSTRACT

An aircraft wing main spar is utilized for the carrying of flap blowing and lift augmenting air to the trailing edge of the wing. The main spar trailing edge is formed into an elongate nozzle which directs the air over and between said flaps.

iinited States Patent [1 1 Maguire 1 AIRCRAFT [75] Inventor: AddisonCharles Maguire, Alvaston,

England [73] Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence,

London, England 221 Filed: Nov. 30, 1971.

211 Appl. No.: 203,300

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 19, 1970 Great Britain60417/70 [52] US. Cl. 244/42 CC [51] Int. Cl. B64c 3/50 [58] Field ofSearch244/42 R, 42 C, 42 CB, 42 CC,

. 244/42 CD, 42 CF [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1968Razak..... 244/42 CC,

[111 3,792,828 [4 1' Feb. 19, 1974 3,332,644 7/1967 Whittley; 244/42 CC3,432,123 3/1969 Conway 244/4241 2,910,254 10/1959 Razak 244/42 CFPrimary Examiner-George E. A. l-lalvosa Assistant Examiner-Sherman D.Basinger Attorney, Agent, Cushman [5 7] ABSTRACT An aircraft wing mainspar is utilized for the carrying of flap blowing and lift augmentingair to the trailing edge of the wing. The main spar trailing edge isformed into an elongate nozzle which directs the air over and betweensaid flaps.

' 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures or Firm-Cushman, Darby &

PATENTEU FEB 1 m SHEET l U? 2 AIRCRAFT This invention concerns aircrafthaving STOL capabilities.

Aircraft which have flap blowing equipment are able to take off and landin distancesmuch shorter than those required when the aircraft has noflap blowing equipment. However, known flap blowing equipment hasdisadvantages, chiefly by way of large aircraft weight increases due tothe many feet of conduit which have to be added to and fitted in thewing structure in order to pass flap blowing fluid for the full span ofthe wing trailing edge flaps.

It is an object of this invention to obviate said conduit and so reduceaircraft weight.

Accordingly the present invention comprises an aircraft having wingswith trailing edge flaps connected for movement relative to the wingsand relative to each other, the wing including a main spar the inside ofwhich is shaped to provide longitudinal passages parallel with saidflaps, fluid compression means mounted externally of the wings andconnected to pass compressed fluid to said passages for the purpose ofdistributing said fluid to spaces adjacent the upstream edges of saidflaps for substantially the full length thereof.

Preferably the downstream edge of the wing main spar is formed into atleast one longitudinal nozzle through which distribution of the fluidunder pressure is effected.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an aircraft incorporating the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view on arrow 2 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a schematic layout of the main spar ducting in accordance withthe invention.

In FIG. 1 an aircraft has two forward propulsion engines 12 and 14 andtwo pairs of relatively small gas turbine engines 16, 18, 20 and 22.

Each small engine, when operating, drives a respective auxiliarycompressor of which only one, 24, is shown in detail in FIG. 2, thedrive being achieved via shafting 26.

Each pair of small engines 16, 18, and 20, 22 are contained inrespective elongatepods 28 and 30, which contain suck-in doors 32 nearthe upstream end to provide an air inlet to the compressors of the smallengines, the compressor of one smaller engine 22, being shown in dottedlines in FIG. 2. The exhaust nozzle of each small engine projectsdownwardly through the floor of a respective pod as indicated at 23 inFIG. 2.

Further suck-in doors 34 are provided in the pod wall structure so thatwhen the auxiliary compressors are rotated by the small engines, theresulting pressure drop within the pods causes the doors to pivotinwards, thus enabling a flow of ambient air to pass therethrough intothe auxiliary compressor intakes.

When the aircraft is landing, auxiliary engines l6, l8, and 20, 22 areswitched on so as to rotate their respective auxiliary compressors whichthen suck in intake doors 34 and so set up a flow of ambient intake airwhich they compress and eject, into bifurcated ducts which will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3 auxiliary compressor 24 on the starboard wing of an aircraftand driven by small engine 22 via shafting 26, pumps compressed air intoducts 38 and 36. The air in duct 38 passes to a chamber 42 in the mainwing spar generally designated at 43 in FIG. 2 from whenceit passes, viaa nozzle 44, to atmosphere, nozzle 44 being elongate and ejecting on thestarboard side at a position immediately upstream of the wing flapsgenerally designated at 47 in FIG. 2.

Duct 36 directs air via a chamber in the main wing spar 43 to anelongate transfer or cross-over passage 46 (shown in plan view at thetop of FIG. 3) in the direction of arrow A". The air passes alongpassage 46 in the main wing spar 43 to a point 45 which represents thewing span mid point or aircraft roll axis, where it transfers across theroll axis 45 in the direction of arrow B to a passage 46a on theaircraft port side of the main wing spar 43, which passage is shown inplan view near the top of FIG. 3 and repeated in cross sectionimmediately below there. The air then transfers, via a short connectingpassage (arrow C) to a chamber 46b in the main wing spar 43 from whichit ejects, via a nozzle 48 on the port side to atmosphere immediatelyupstream of the flaps 47.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that one auxiliarycompressor 24 delivers flap blowing air to both port and starboardwingflaps by the nozzles 48 and 44 respectively. Consequently, should itsassociated small engine 16 fail, the flap blowing facility will beremoved substantially symmetrically about the aircrafts longitudinalaxis 45, thus reducing tendency of the aircraft to roll.

Similarly, compressor 68, when rotated by its small engine 16 on theport side of the aircraft (not shown in FIG. 3) pumps compressed air toa transfer or crossover passage 72, via a chamber 70 and in thedirection of arrow D, the passage 72 and the chamber both being in themain wing spar 43. Again, passage 72 is shown in plan at the top of FIG.3 and extends along the port wing to and across the roll axis 45. At theroll axis, the airflow crosses from passage 72 in the direction of arrowB to a starboard passage 74 shown in plan near the top of the drawingand in cross section below there. The air then flows in the direction ofarrow F to starboard elongate chamber 76 which terminates in starboardelongate nozzle 78 immediately upstream of the wing flaps 47 on thestarboard side.

Compressor 68 also pumps air to elongate chamber 80 in the wing spar 43on the port side of the aircraft, the chamber 80 terminating in anelongate nozzle 82 immediately upstream of the wing flaps 47 on the portside. Thus, it is seen that compressor 68 pumps air to nozzles 82 and78, both port and starboard sides respectively of the aircraft.

Auxiliary compressor 50 for small engine 20 on the starboard side of theaircraft pumps air via duct 54 to elongate chamber 58 in the main wingspar 43 which terminates in nozzle 84 immediately upstream of the wingflaps 47 on the starboard side. The compressor 50 also pumps air viaduct 52 to transfer or cross over passage 56 shown in cross section andin plan (arrow G") from which it passes in the direction of arrow H tothe port side chamber 60 in the wing spar 43 which has elongate nozzle86 immediately upstream of the port side wing flaps 47. Some of the airin chamber 60 also passes in the direction of arrow 1" to passage 62 onthe port side of the aircraft and then in the direction of arrow K toport side elongate nozzle 64 immediately upstream of and at the outerend of the wing flaps 43 on the aircraft port side. The air flows fromthe nozzle 64 onto the flaps 47.

Auxiliary Compressor 66 for small engine 18 on the port side of theaircraft pumps air into port side chamber 90 which terminates inelongate nozzle 92 immediately upstream of the wing flaps 47 on the portside of the aircraft. it also pumps air into transfer or cross-overpassage 94, shown in cross section, and above the cross section in plan.Passage 94 is on the port side of the aircraft and the air flows alongit to the starboard side, crossing thereto at the roll axis 45 andpassing in the direction of arrow M to a starboard chamber 96 whichterminates in an elongate nozzle 98 immediately upstream of the wingflaps 47 on the starboard side. Some of the air in chamber 96 passes inthe direction of arrow N to starboard passage 100 from whence it flowsin the direction of arrow P to elongate nozzle 102 at the outer end ofthe starboard wing. The air flows from the nozzle 102 onto the flaps 47.

The arrangement as described above ensures that if one or more smallengines malfunction such that its or their associated auxiliarycompressor does not operate, flap blowing air will be removed from bothwings, but at the same time the remaining engine or engines will causeits or their respective compressor to provide flap blowing air on bothport and starboard wings, thus maintaining the effect of asymmetric flapblowing to a minimum. I

As will be noted from the above, nozzles 64, 48, 86, and 92 are allpositioned on the port side of the aircraft immediately upstream of theport flaps 47 for blowing air into these flaps. Each of the nozzles iselongate and may be arranged along the span of the port wing flaps in adesired sequence. Likewise, the nozzles 102, 44, 78, 98, and 84 are allelongate nozzles for blowing air onto the flaps 47, but it will beappreciated that these nozzles-are positioned on the starboard side ofthe roll axis 45 immediately upstream of the starboard flaps for blowingair onto these flaps. All of the passages and chambers receiving airfrom the ducts leading from the auxiliary compressors 24, 50, 66, and 68are formed in the main wing spar 37 rather than by adding ducts inaddition thereto, thereby eliminating weight from the overall structure.The cross-over passages 46, 56, 72, and 94 permit transfer of air fromone side of the wing to the other, thus maintaining the effect ofasymmetric flap blowing to a minimum. This gives the aircraft S.T.O.L,capabilities without extra conduits and intricate cross-over valvemechanisms while providing the necessary stability and reliability inaction.

l claim: I. An aircraft having a roll axis and comprising: a fuselage; Ia wing mounted on said fuselage and having trailing edge flaps movablerelative thereto and to each other, said wing havinga main sparextending across the same, said main spar having a plurality of passagestherein extending along the length thereof andfurther having elongatednozzle means on the downstream edge thereof and upstream of said flaps,said nozzle means extending along the length of said spar fordischarging air onto said flaps, said plurality of passages beingdiscriminately connected to said nozzle means on opposite sides of saidroll axis; forward propulsion means; and at least a pair of aircompression means mounted externally of the wing and spaced from eachother on opposite sides of the roll axis, each of said air compressionmeans including bifurcatedoutlet ducts, one of said outlet ducts beingconnected to one of said passages which communicates with said nozzlemeans on one side of said roll axis and the other of said outlet ductsbeing connected to another of said passages which communicates with saidnozzle means on an opposite side of said roll axis whereby symmetricalflap blowing is maintained regardless of whether one or both of said aircompression means is operating. 2. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 inwhich said elongated nozzle means includes a plurality of nozzlesextending across the downstream edge of the main spar, there being atleast two nozzles for each air compression means with one nozzlepositioned on one side of the roll axis and the other nozzle positionedon the other side of the roll axis.

ing downwardly.

1. An aircraft having a roll axis and comprising: a fuselage; a wingmounted on said fuselage and having trailing edge flaps movable relativethereto and to each other, said wing having a main spar extending acrossthe same, said main spar having a plurality of passages thereinextending along the length thereof and further having elongated nozzlemeans on the downstream edge thereof and upstream of said flaps, saidnozzle means extending along the length of said spar for discharging aironto said flaps, said plurality of passages being discriminatelyconnected to said nozzle means on opposite sides of said roll axis;forward propulsion means; and at least a pair of air compression meansmounted externally of the wing and spaced from each other on oppositesides of the roll axis, each of said air compression means includingbifurcated outlet ducts, one of said outlet ducts being connected to oneof said passages which communicates with said nozzle means on one sideof said roll axis and the other of said outlet ducts being connected toanother of said passages which communicates with said nozzle means on anopposite side of said roll axis whereby symmetrical flap blowing ismaintained regardless of whether one or both of said air compressionmeans is operating.
 2. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 in which saidelongated nozzle means includes a plurality of nozzles extending acrossthe downstream edge of the main spar, there being at least two nozzlesfor each air compression means with one nozzle positioned on one side ofthe roll axis and the other nozzle positioned on the other side of theroll axis.
 3. An aircraft as claimed in claim 2 wherein each aircompression means includes at least one rotary compressor.
 4. Anaircraft as claimed in claim 3 including means to drive each rotarycompressor, said means including a gas turbine engine having a driveshaft operatively connected to the compressor.
 5. An aircraft as claimedin claim 4 wherein each of said gas turbine engines has a dischargenozzle projecting downwardly.